9 Days Autumn Tasting from Shanghai to Huangshan

Tour Code: CCT17
Tour Duration: 9
DaysDestination: Hangzhou, Huangshan, Shanghai, Suzhou, ZhouzhuangTour overview:
This China tour takes you through one of the most special parts of China. This area is famous throughout the world for its culture, history, and beauty. Shanghai is a truly unique city, which is very comfortable to visitors to its blending of Chinese and Western cultures. Suzhou, famous for its traditional Chinese gardens, will never be forgotten. Hangzhou, famous for its Dragon Well Tea will introduce you to the world of Chinese tea. It is so much more than just a beverage to the Chinese people. It is a way of life. Huangshan, arguably one of the most beautiful mountains on Earth will delight you, as will Zhouzhuang, one of China’s most famous water towns, where the canals outnumber the streets.

Tour Summary

Day by Day Itinerary

Reviews

B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner

Tour Dates

Destinations

Services Provided

Meals Included

Day 1

Shanghai

Arrive in Shanghai, be met and transferred to hotel, free at the rest time of the day.
Details...

Free at leisure till be transferred to airport for your flight departure.
Details...

(B)

1. Normally hotels allow a maximum of 3 adults per room with an extra bed, at extra charge.
Some hotels will allow three adults and a small child.
2. Tour price is indicative only, please enquire for a detailed quotation.
3. More people more discounts. Please enquire for more details.

Price Inclusions and Exclusions

Price Include

A. Entrance fees：To scenic spots as listed above in the itinerary. B. Meals: All meals as specified in the itinerary. C. Private Transfers: Among airports, hotels and scenic spots while sightseeing in the above cities by the private air conditioned vehicle. D. Guide and Driver: As outlined in the itinerary, a well selected English-speaking guide and driver will accompany you throughout the entire tour in that city. They do not fly with you from one city to another. E. Hotels: Hotel Based on two persons sharing one room with twin beds. All hotels as listed in the above itinerary serve daily western or Chinese breakfast. All rooms are air-conditioned with private facilities unless specified. F. Luggage Transfers: Between airports and hotels. G. Service Charge & Government Taxes. H. Travel insurance in mainland China during the above travel period. I. Arrangements: The tour cost includes planning, handling, operational and communication charges.

Price Exclude

A. Entry or Exit China International Airfare or train tickets. B. Visa Fees. C. Excess Baggage Charges. D. Personal Expenses: Expenses of a purely personal nature such as laundry, drinks, fax, telephone call, optional activities, sightseeing or meals which are not included in the itinerary. E. Meals: Any meals which are not specified with "B", "L" or "D". F. Single Room Supplement. G. Insurance coverage of personal loss, illness or damages incurred during your trip. H. Gratuities, Tips to Guides and Drivers.

Day 1 Shanghai Arrival

Transfer via: Flight on your own arrangement

Upon your arrival in Shanghai,you will be greeted by our local guide and then transferred to your hotel by a private air-conditioned car. For the rest of the day you will enjoy some leisure time.

Day 2 Shanghai to Suzhou (B, L)

In the morning we'll depart from your hotel and take the express train to Suzhou. Suzhou is praised as the "Oriental Venice" and called 'paradise on earth' along with Hangzhou.

Upon your arrival in Suzhou, our guide will meet you and escort you to a local restaurant for lunch. Then you will visit the Humble Administrator's Garden, the largest classical garden in Suzhou and one of the four most famous ones in China. Originally built in 1513 AD, the garden consists of three parts with different types buildings around streams and ponds.

We will spend the afternoon in Zhouzhuang, one of the most famous water townships in China. Situated in Kunshan City, which is only 30 kilometers (18 miles) southeast of Suzhou, it is noted for its profound cultural background, the well preserved ancient residential houses, the elegant watery views and the strong local colored traditions and customs. Let us explore this town with a history of more than 2500 years and get to know about the architecture, lifestyle and inhabitants there.

Afterwards you will be transferred back to Suzhou to spend the rest of your day on your own.

Day 3 Suzhou to Hangzhou (B, L)

Our guide and driver will escort you from Hotel to train station (Suzhou). Upon your arrival in Hangzhou, our local guide will meet you and escort you to beautiful West Lake. We will take a cruise boat across the lake to see the 3 pagodas in the lake. The West Lake is the most famous tourist spot of Hangzhou. Graceful mountains surround it on three sides. It has a charming scenery and many cultural relics and historic sites. Then you will visit the Meijiawu Tea Plantation. Tea village is seated at the hinterland of West Lake Park and it is famous for its tea production. Everybody will feel relax in such an natural environment, enjoy the special tea culture and the beauty there.

Day 4 Hangzhou to Huangshan (B, L)

Today you will also visit Lingyin Temple including the FeiLai Feng. The Fei Lai Feng is situated in the east of Ling Yin Temple. Isolated from others, its stone quality is totally different from that of surrounding mountain groups. It is 167 meters high, on the peak there are many grotesque stones in the shapes of charming dragon, prostrate tiger, walking elephant and scared ape. The main hall of Lingyin Temple is about 34 meters (111 feet) tall - incredibly high for a one-storey building. In the center of the hall you’ll find the statue of Sakyamuni Buddha, which was carved from 24 pieces of camphor wood. The temple was named Lingyin Temple for its extremely beautiful environment which is serene and suitable for “Soul’s Retreat”.

After that, we will drive to the Six Harmonies Pagoda, highly erected next to Qiantang River and in the south of the West Lake. It is a perfect examplel of brick-and-wood structure built in ancient China and was built in 970 AD in the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127) to press down the evil of the river tidal bore in Qiantang River.

After lunch, our guide and driver will escort you to the bus station (Hangzhou), Upon your arrival in Huangshan, our local guide will meet you and escort you to hotel by a private air-conditioned car. Then you will spend the rest of day on your leisure.

Day 5 Huangshan Xin'an River hiking (B, L)

Sightseeing: Xin'an River hiking

After the breakfast, we will drive toNan yuan kou which is the source of Xin'an River,and take a walk in the picturesque view of beautiful river and green mountains, visiting local farmers’ home and school(if it is not on weekend). Drive back to the downtown of Huangshan city in the afternoon.

Day 6 Huangshan (B, L)

Sightseeing: Mt. Huangshan

In the morning, you will be transferred to the foot of Mt. Huangshan, take cable car to the top of it and make a tour to North Sea Scenic Area and other peaks. You will stay over night on the top of the mountain.

Mt. Huangshan, known as "the loveliest mountain in China", is famous for its magnificent scenery made up of many granite peaks and rocks emerging out of clouds. Its landscape features “four wonders” of imposing peaks, spectacular rocks, odd-shaped pines, and a sea of clouds. Mount Huangshan boasts 72 peaks, more than 1,000 meters above sea level, with three main peaks rising majestically. The famous Welcoming Guests (Yingke) Pine (1,500 years old) and See-Guest-Off Pine have become a symbol of being faithful, unyielding and hospitable.

Day 7 Hangshuan to Shanghai (B, L)

Transfer via: By air arranged by usSightseeing: Hongcun, Xidi villages.

In the morning we will descend from the mountain and visit XidiAncient Villageand HongcunAncient Village. Located in Yixian County, they were listed as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2000. These two villages are the most representative local-style residences in southern Anhui Province. They have a history of up to 900 years and you will be impressed by the simplicity and nativeness.

Then you will be transferred to the airport, where you will take the flight to Shanghai. Upon your arrival in Shanghai, our local guide will meet you and escort you to hotel by a private air-conditioned car.

Day 8 Shanghai (B, L)

In the morning you will take a walk to the Bund. It is among the most recognizable architectural symbols of Shanghai and therefore a must-see when visiting Shanghai.

Then we will visit Shanghai Museum which is the biggest museum of China. It incorporates a collection of over 120,000 pieces of Chinese art & cultural relics and is especially famous for its treasures of bronzes, ceramics, paintings and calligraphy.

After lunch, we will visit the Shanghai World Financial Center; it is a super tall skyscraper. It is a mixed use skyscraper, which will consist of offices, hotels, conference rooms, observation decks, and shopping malls on the lower floors. The hotel component has 175 rooms and suites and goes by the name: The Park Hyatt, Shanghai. On September 14, 2007, the skyscraper reached 492.3 meters (1,615.2 ft) and became the tallest structure on mainland China, including Hong Kong, as well as the world's third tallest building (including unfinished ones), after the Burj Dubai and Taipei 101.

Finally we head to the Jade Buddha Temple. The old-time and classical architectural style makes the temple unique and inimitable in this modern city. Both, the Sitting Buddha and the Recumbent Buddha are carved with whole white jade. If you're lucky, you can watch the monks serving a ceremony in a side room.

Day 9 Shanghai (B)

Transfer via: Flight on your own arrangement

Today will be free for your own purposes, until our guide will escort you to the airport for your next destination.

Hi Molly,
The tour was great. Both guide and driver are very friendly and helpful. For the meals on the trip, so much food and delicious dishes.
We loved t... Read more »

I must extend our thanks to you and the
Tour Guide for this trip Peter. The trip was fun and informative.

Hi Stella,

I must extend our thanks to you and the Tour Guide for this trip Peter (Hope i didn't get his name wrong) .

The trip was fun and informative. Peter is extremely caring and helpful to all the guests who participated in this group trip to Mutianyu great wall & Ming Tombs tour. He made sure nobody was left out of left behind. He is very polite and attentive to our needs.

Peter also made sure we are safe, he was concerned about the distance if the guests could find their hotel or find their way back to their hotel. I must thank Peter for insisting to drop us near our hotel where we CAN see our hotel building at least.

I hope you can let Peter know that he's an awesome guide and the Americans and the rest of us had so much fun.

Best Regards,

Serene Zhou & Ernest

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This is a tour agency in China that provides private English tours. I booked a 1 person private tour with these people for 4 days trip in Harbin for the Winter festiva... Read more »

This is a tour agency in China that provides private English tours. If I needed another private tour, would I use them again? Definitely!! I would recommend them for the service too.

This is a tour agency in China that provides private English tours. I booked a 1 person private tour with these people for 4 days trip in Harbin for the Winter festival and I think it was really worth it.

I booked a 4 day tour in Harbin with them at the last minute and the person I contacted was Molly, who did all the arrangements for me. They pulled it off at the last minute, and around Chinese new year too! I contacted them just before Chinese New year and they responded really quick (yes, China time is 3 hours behind Sydney, so my responses came after 12pm local time each day). She even told me they will be on public holiday from Chinese New Year until Monday the 11th of Feb and then on Monday the 11th of Feb, I got a message from her back with a quote from the local partners first thing, so I was able to make other arrangements quickly, like getting my plane tickets, and visa.

Molly provided me with an itinerary and a quote and I was happy with it, costed $1560 AUD including single non-shared accommodation (I chose 3 star accommodation because I am not fussy about the hotel), breakfast, private transport, pick up and drop off from airport, driver, and an English speaking guide all for myself, so I had 2 people helping me out during my time there, plus entry tickets to all the attractions, for 4 days. I saw a local Australian tour company that had a 5 day Harbin group tour for $1525 AUD with a maximum of 12 people, but it’s really a 3 day tour because that tour lets people arrive in Beijing, then everyone catches the train overnight to Harbin, and days 2-4 are spent sightseeing before catching the train back to Beijing on the 5th day, plus there was another tour company that offered private tours that quoted over $2000 AUD for a similar itinerary, so I believe it was money well spent. My itinerary included the Ice and Snow world, Snow Sculptures and skiing.

Molly gave me the name and contact details of my guide (Allison) as soon as one was allocated to me, and I contacted her on Wechat (a Chinese messenger phone app). Allison is pleasant and speaks English well. The driver helped put my luggage in the car. Allison was knowledgeable and I was impressed that she was flexible and had the sense to check with the local contacts immediately upon picking me up from the airport and getting into the car, to see if the attractions I wanted to see were still open.

Allison took photos for me, and was pretty good at it, and told me lots of relevant history and behind the scenes stories, for example, how the ice blocks are harvested from the river with people standing on the frozen river, drilling holes along the perimeter of the block as deep as it is thick, and connecting them with a saw and lifting them out with a crane; how the Dao in Laodaowai refers to the railway the Russians built when they came to Harbin, and forced the locals out of the railway/developed area, hence the name Lao “Old” Dao “Railway” Wai “outside” refers to outside the railway area.

As a local, she also helped me haggle a better price for the candied fruit sticks (Bing Tang Hu Lu) and I learnt that the Modern (Ma Die Er) Ice cream block is so named because it used to be sold from the Modern Hotel/shop and they were never individually packaged, rather, sold in tubs, so technically it’s only authentic if you buy it from the Modern shop on Central Street. (There is a shop with an oval red neon sign with 1906 on it.), and the original flavours are Original and Coffee (maybe something else, I forgot), the fruit flavours are new, so I recommend the original one. I saw reviews saying it's not that good - last time I was there in the summer I had one and didn't think it lived up to it's reputation because I ate a different branded one, so go for the authentic one at ￥10 each for the original flavour. (same price as the shop in the domestic airport in Harbin). They come on a stick, I haven't see the scoop ones.

Allison also took great care of me as a friend, and helped me walk around on slippery snow/ice and gave me some bandaids and heat packs when I got some grazes from the snow shoe walking around, and warned me not to go onto the frozen lake.

The car I used was a private car, in China, cars are allowed on road according to the numbers on the license plate, to limit the maximum number of cars on the road each day. Thankfully my itinerary was relaxed so there was some space to move around to get everything done, while still being within the permitted days for the car (if it’s outside, you can still have the car on the roads I was told, but just further from the attraction than if it was on a permitted day, which means a little more walking. I got door to door service every day!). It was clean and comfortable inside. Larger groups get coaches.

If I needed another private tour, would I use them again? Definitely!! I would recommend them for the service too. The driver was very professional and like another reviewer said, did not talk all the time, and didn't ask random personal info like local taxi drivers might. Wasn't too much 'awkward silence' either cause I talked with the guide in the back seat.

I got dropped off at the airport and Allison took me directly to the check in counter and they knew exactly which counter and flight I was taking (gave them the info before arriving, was surprised they kept it) so the driver drove me right up to the correct entry. Best service!

Best wishes,

Qiao Wenshu

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Hello Sandy,
Thank you for your request. We had a
wonderful day, even though we experienced exactly the snow on the Chinese wall.
The tour... Read more »

We had a wonderful day. The tour was well
organized. We would also book it again with you. The tour guide was awesome! A
big praise. She patiently answered all the questions, was funny, responded to
the group. That was really great.

Hello Sandy,

Thank you for your request. We had a
wonderful day, even though we experienced exactly the snow on the Chinese wall.
The tour was well organized. We would also book it again with you.

The Ming Tombs were interesting, but of
course the Great Wall of China was the highlight for us. And despite the snow,
it was an experience. Somewhat hectic was the climb from lunch (by the way
very, very delicious!) But I know that this was only due to the weather that
day.

The tour guide was awesome! A big praise.
She patiently answered all the questions, was funny, responded to the group.
That was really great.

If I come back in 2 years with a group, we
would like to book again the same tour (maybe without snow ....) with the same
tour guide.

Our heartfelt thanks!

Viele Grüße

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Hi Sandie!
Thanks for your email! We are both doing
fine and have happy memories of the time we spent touring China, thanks to you!
We are ... Read more »

Each and every city was thoroughly explored
with the wonderful guides and drivers that you arranged for us. We also
enjoyed every hotel that you reserved for us. We especially enjoyed each guide,
their knowledge, courtesy, and personality! We had a thoroughly wonderful time
in China and thank you for all the work you did to plan it for us. Should
we ever visit China again, we will contact you to assist us!

Hi Sandie!

Thanks for your email! We are both doing
fine and have happy memories of the time we spent touring China, thanks to you!

We are home now (since early
February) and planning our next trip in Mexico for April.

We totally enjoyed our time in China,
despite the fact that it was cooler than we had planned for/expected. Each and
every city was thoroughly explored with the wonderful guides and drivers that
you arranged for us. We also enjoyed every hotel that you reserved for
us, as we did the flights, as well. The only semi-negative comment was that the
Guilin hotel heat situation was sub-par.

We especially enjoyed each guide, their
knowledge, courtesy, and personality! They often showed us much more than we
expected and worked very hard to make all connections efficiently, etc.

I did complete feedback forms for each
guide in each city. I hope that they forwarded them to you. They were likely to
be more thorough than what I just wrote to you.

The
bottom line, though, was that we had a thoroughly wonderful time in China and
thank you for all the work you did to plan it for us. Should we ever
visit China again, we will contact you to assist us!

If
you ever visit Seattle, Washington, please let me know and I/we will show you
around our beautiful city and environs.

Thanks
again!

Nancy and Pricha (Tuksaudom)

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Hello Sandy,
Hope you had a nice weekend. Thanks for being patient. Here's what we thought of the trip.
Overall, we had a wonderful trip! You planne... Read more »

We had a wonderful trip! You planned and coordinated everything really well. We especially appreciated all your help on the first day when we missed our train and got stranded in Beijing~THANK YOU! Everything went smoothly and our guides were most accommodating. Most of them were quite fluent and we don't have any problem understanding them. I will definitely recommend you to my friends and seek you out if I visit China the future.

Hello Sandy,

Hope you had a nice weekend. Thanks for being patient. Here's what we thought of the trip.

Overall, we had a wonderful trip! You planned and coordinated everything really well. We especially appreciated all your help on the first day when we missed our train and got stranded in Beijing~THANK YOU!

Everything went smoothly and our guides were most accommodating. Most of them were quite fluent and we don't have any problem understanding them. It was great to have their help dealing with hotel checking-ins and transportation details. It was very convenient and helpful. Having to move in and out of hotels daily and trying to catch all those train on time are very stressful ~ A big "Thanks" for all their help.

I want you to know that we consider Jackie Zhang (our guide for Zhangye & Dunhuang) to be the BEST of all the guides we encountered on this trip. She is enthusiastic, meticulous and extremely knowledgeable. You can tell that she enjoys her job tremendously!

My observation ~ Most "Foreign Visitors" don't always have a base knowledge of the history of the places they are visiting. A SHORT & CONCISE explanation is better than a long and winding narrative. It should not be assumed that one formula works for everyone. Some visitors are more knowledgeable than others and vice versa.

We enjoyed all the sights we visited on this trip tremendously. That said, there are some room for improvements.

The one disappointment for me was the visit to Qinghai Lake. It was too commercialized. It would have been so much better if we were able to stop by the lake area BEFORE the visitor center where it was much more pristine and unspoiled. After all, we are there to take it the natural beauty of the area after all.

Our guide and driver was most accommodating when we asked them to stop by the side of the road in order for us to photograph herds of YAK and sheep. It was the highlight of the trip for me! I am sure other visitors will feel the same way.

My suggestion ~ Maybe some sort of arrangements can be made with local farmers that owned land along the Qinghai lake for a short stop over in your future tours? This way, your visitors can have wonderful opportunities to photograph and experience the scenery and lifestyle of the local people.

My observation ~ In Turpan, the Turpan Museum would have been a BETTER choice than the visit to the Karez well system (Kan'erjing Museum). There is really nothing much to see here.

The International Grand Bazaar was also a bit of a disappointment, it was too touristy. I think we would find it much more interesting if we have the opportunity to visit a local street market instead.

We rode a donkey cart at the Flaming Mountains. It was great fun! I think this should be included in the future and its a great way to help the local make some extra money too. You agree?

Hotels ~ We still prefer staying at International Brand hotels. We really liked the Sofitel Hotels (in Xian & Xining) and the Sheraton in Urumqi.

We find the service and breakfast food selection available at the local brand hotels are still somewhat lacking compared to the International Brand hotels.

Food ~ We had some amazing and some mediocre food on this trip. The quality of the meal is inconsistent. I guess it depended a lot on your local tour coordinators?

I hope our observations and honest suggestions are helpful to you. Please do not consider this is as criticism of our trip but as suggestions for improvements. We had lots of fun and we hope you'll be able to attract more visitors to your tour. I will definitely recommend you to my friends and seek you out if I visit China the future.

I have attached the "corrected" photo and an extra one taken at the Flaming Mountains. You have our permission to include all three of the photos along with the following review to your website. I will write a review for TripAdvisor.com later.

Custom Tailoring: Design your own tour with our help to meet your
unique interests. You don't have to compromise. Do exactly what you want to do!
Let us assist you to tailor-make your own China experience.

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What Our Customers Say

Hi Molly,
The tour was great. Both guide and driver are very friendly and helpful. For the meals on the trip, so much food and delicious dishes.
We loved the trip. Thanks for all your help.
Best wishes,
Brandon
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